Prelude
by Sweetdeath04
Summary: Post-Workforce. Between exposing corrupt members of the medical community and law enforcement on Quarra and struggling to remember who they are, a couple of members of Voyager's crew learn a little more about each other as well. C/7
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager doesn't belong to me nor does anything related to it.

**A.N.**_ Hey folks! This is my first Voyager fic! It takes place just as everyone's recovering at the end of Workforce Part Two. It's a little C/7 and it will probably end up being around three parts long._

_Enjoy!_

_**Prelude**_

**Chapter One**

Chakotay forced his eyes open, blinking a few times before the Doctor, still wearing his ECH uniform, came into focus beside him.

"Welcome back, Commander. How are you feeling?"

Chakotay considered the question whilst he sat up and looked around the sickbay. He was on Voyager. On the biobed beside him was an unconscious Tuvok and standing beside the console was Seven of Nine. She stood in her customary straight-backed pose, however as her eyes wandered around the room she seemed slightly dazed.

"I feel... like myself," Chakotay deduced. The Doctor smiled at him.

"Well, I should certainly hope so. It seems that Doctor Kadan had quite an influx of patients. He never got around to altering your memories, he only sedated you." The Doctor ran a medical tricorder over him and gave it a cursory glance. "You seem to be in perfect health. I assume many of the crew are wandering around Voyager hopelessly lost. Mr Neelix, Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres are trying to round them up in the mess hall and keep them calm until I've begun to treat them. I'm sure they'd appreciate your assistance."

"Sure," Chakotay agreed. "But would you mind filling me in on what happened first? The last thing I remember," he wracked his brain, "is being forced to contact Voyager by Kadan. He made me transmit co-ordinates to Voyager- to send you into a trap." He looked up at the Doctor, "How did you get us out?"

The Doctor glanced across the room at Seven. "If you want the whole story I might not be the best person to tell you. Tuvok, Seven and yourself were all beamed up directly from the medical centre on Quarra." He looked down at the tricorder that he was running over Tuvok's head. "I need to treat Commander Tuvok, but Seven might be able to tell you something."

Chakotay nodded and slid off the bio-bed. "Thanks Doctor," he murmured, but the Doctor was already engrossed in the readings from his medical tricorder.

* * *

Seven was taking in every sight and every sound as her eyes darted around the room. "Seven," Chakotay addressed her, but she didn't turn around. He remembered how B'Elanna had reacted when she had been brought back on board. Even though Seven obviously knew that she was not supposed to be on Quarra, it must be difficult for her to comprehend that Voyager was her home when she had no memory of it.

He put a hand on her shoulder and she started, whirling around to meet his eyes.

"Amal Kotay?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes absorbing every detail of his face, undoubtedly comparing it to the face she recognised from the records at the power plant.

"Chakotay," he corrected, smiling at her. It was strange to see Seven so unsure about anything. It gave her an almost exotic quality. Belatedly he realised that his hand was still resting on her shoulder and nearly drew away, before thinking better of it and grasping her elbow instead. Gently he led her towards the Doctor's office. "You'll remember all this soon enough, but I'm a commander aboard Voyager."

"What happened down there?" he asked as he gestured for her to sit. He drew the other chair from around the opposite side of the desk and collapsed into it, making himself comfortable. Seven, on the other hand, sat on the edge of the seat, her knees pressed tightly together under her skirt and her hands twisting unconsciously in her lap.

"I only know what happened at the hospital. Kathryn Janeway went to the power facility to disable the shield grid. Since we're here, I'm assuming that she succeeded." Chakotay nodded and Seven continued, "I believe that Mr Tuvok knew we didn't belong on Quarra. He tried to- HH" Her eyes unfocused as she tried to define exactly what Tuvok had done that had made her realise something wasn't quite right. "He tried to make me remember who I was," she paused. "Who I am."

"Obviously it worked," Chakotay commented.

She shook her head but didn't speak for a moment, making Chakotay wonder exactly what she _did _remember. But the moment was over and she began to speak again.

"In my position at the power plant I was able to learn what files Mr Tuvok accessed before he was hospitalised. When B'Elanna Torres was kidnapped and her file was one of those that Mr Tuvok had searched for, along with my own and many others, I became suspicious."

Chakotay resisted the urge to correct Seven- B'Elanna hadn't been kidnapped, she'd been _rescued_.

"I contacted Detective Yerid and voiced my suspicions to him, however he had been relieved of duty, after your arrest, I believe. He agreed to help me and several other people that were mentioned in Tuvok's files- people I assume to be members of Voyager's crew. I went back to the hospital and learned that everyone who had been mentioned in the files had been treated for Dysphoria Syndrome when they arrived," Seven continued.

Chakotay nodded, "They'd been altering everyone's memories so they'd believe they came to Quarra of their own free will."

"That's correct," Seven confirmed. "Between the information I had gathered at the hospital, Mr Tuvok's files and what you had told Kathryn Janeway, we were able to contact Voyager and be rescued," she concluded.

Chakotay was silent for a moment, letting everything she had told him sink in. "Why were you at the medical centre when we were beamed up?" he asked, remembering what the Doctor had said when he had woken up.

"Detective Yerid and I intended to release Mr Tuvok and yourself, however we were transported here almost as soon as we arrived there." She stared down at her hands, still twisting, in her lap.

Chakotay's eye's narrowed as he studied her. Something else was bothering her. "What's wrong?" he asked eventually.

Seven didn't look up. "I fear that I may be the reason that Doctor Ravoc has come to harm." Chakotay didn't understand, and was about to ask her to explain when she looked up at him, eyes filled with some unidentifiable emotion. "I deceived him at the medical centre in order to gain information. When we returned he was also undergoing the procedure to have his memories altered. What if it was because of what I did that he was harmed?" She looked utterly miserable at the thought.

"Seven, you did whatever you had to. Kadan didn't have time to alter my memories before we were rescued; it's possible that Doctor Ravock's weren't either. And even if they were, the Doctor can treat him," he tried to reassure her.

She dipped her head once in acceptance as he stood up to leave. "I need to check on the rest of the crew. Thanks for telling me what happened," he smiled, "and for coming back to the medical centre to rescue me," he added. Seven looked up at him and offered him a small smile in return as he walked out of the office.

"Commander?" Seven's voice stopped him as the doors of sickbay slid open. He turned round to find her standing at the door to the Doctor's office. "I realise this is something I may remember after the Doctor has treated me, but..." she hesitated, but before Chakotay could prompt her to continue, she completed her question, "Why do you and the Doctor keep referring to me as 'Seven'? My name is Annika Hansen."

Chakotay's mouth opened to answer but not a sound came out. The question was more loaded than she realised. He looked across sickbay, almost searching for an answer. Instead he found the Doctor looking up from treating Tuvok. Their eyes met, and Chakotay realised that the Doctor was as lost as to how to answer the question as he was.

He turned back to Seven- Annika, rather. "It's a long story. Would you prefer to go by Annika, for now at least?"

Her head dipped in a small nod, "Yes. Thank you."

Chakotay gave her a smile before turning and making his way down to the mess hall, still pondering her story.

A couple of years previously, when the ship had been swallowed by the 'picture plant,' as it had come to be known as, and the crew had begun to believe their fondest dreams were coming true, only Seven and Naomi Wildman had not been convinced by the hallucinations the picture plant had invoked in them, simply because neither of them had wanted to return to the Alpha Quadrant or Earth.

Now, however, it seemed that Seven was the one who wasn't content to live out the happy life offered on Quarra, while Captain Janeway, the woman who was so determined to keep heading towards home, was the first to settle down and ignore any suspicion that all was not right.

He was forced from his ponderings as he was nearly run over by a lost and panicking crewmember. The crew were all back home on Voyager.

Now if only they could remember it.

**A.N. **_I'm going to apologise in advance here. It's going to be at least two weeks until I can update again. My university lecturers are piling on the coursework and exams until the end of the semester so I won't have much time until then. Unless I procrastinate. Which is quite likely._

_Anyway, let me know what you thought! And a bit of shameless plugging her- if you're a C/7 fan and you haven't read __**scifiromance**__'s work, what are you waiting for! The only excuse I will take is 'dropping a review here!'_

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope, Star Trek Voyager ain't mine.

**A.N. **_Hi... Sorry I'm late... Enjoy the chapter! *Runs away and hides from angry readers.*_

**Chapter Two**

Chakotay ended up back in Sickbay a few hours after he'd left, this time a little worse for wear. He had been escorting crewmembers about the ship most of the day and had just taken several people from sickbay to their quarters. Next time, he swore, he would make sure that the people he was ferrying about had their quarters on the same deck. However, when he had arrived back in the mess hall a fight had just broken out. Neelix had been pleading with the two men who had originally started the argument, but he'd been ignored.

The argument had escalated until the two men had come to blows. When Chakotay walked in it had become a full scale brawl that involved half the crew. For a moment he had wondered if there was going to be a mutiny but disregarded the thought in order to help Harry break up the fight.

Which was how he ended up in Sickbay with a rapidly bruising eye and a split lip.

He wasn't the only one. The Doctor had used the opportunity to administer the first round of treatment to his patients whilst he was attending their cuts and bruises but it was when he asked what had started the brawl, with a look of disappointment on his face that Chakotay finally found out the answer himself.

"It was about a sport that's popular on Quarra," Ensign Kim stated through swollen lips. "Kroffball, I think. From what I've gathered it's similar to a sport that used to be played on Earth- American Football."

Chakotay inwardly shuddered at the thought of the crew coming to blows every day until they had their memories returned. "Doctor, what progress have you made so far?" he asked.

"I've managed to develop a solution that I can administer in a hypospray. The first dose is the strongest- the majority of the crew should have a good recollection of their real lives by this time tomorrow." As he informed them of this development he straightened up and smiled proudly. "There are, of course, several other treatments required before I can relieve everyone for duty, but at the moment the best cure is a good night's sleep. I expect some will react better to my treatment than others," the Doctor frowned. "Tuvok will need some additional care. The memory centres of his brain have been poked and prodded at until their almost unrecognisable." He took a breath before continuing. "On a brighter note, Ensign Vorik should be back to normal in half the time that it will take everyone else. Seven- sorry, _Annika_, as well. Regeneration should help speed up the process. Hopefully she'll have regained most of her memories by tomorrow morning."

"That's good," Chakotay nodded slowly, taking in all the information. "B'Elanna could use the help in Engineering."

Neelix started, "But I thought that we'd fixed everything?"

"According to B'Elanna," Harry grinned, "it's something of a miracle that we made it to Quarra without falling apart. Speaking of which," he turned towards Chakotay and the Doctor, "we've been contacted by some people on the surface. According to Detective Yerid there's been a few changes been made on Quarra. He's been promoted to Director of Investigations, temporarily at least."

Chakotay nodded again. "From what Seven told me, I gathered that he was instrumental in uncovering how the power plant was 'recruiting' workers."

"There's also a Doctor Ravoc who would like to speak to you, Doctor. I think he was hoping to consult you on developing some sort of rehabilitation method for people who've been brainwashed for years, rather than a few weeks," Harry informed them.

"I'd be delighted," the Doctor agreed. "So far, there appear to be no short term side-effects in the crew that we hadn't already predicted. But I'd be interested in discussing any long term side-effects that we might not expect." He nodded, "I'll contact him first thing in the morning."

Chakotay took a breath and released it slowly. He didn't envy Captain Janeway at all in times like these. Being in command of a starship that seemed to attract trouble wherever it went was no picnic. "Good job everyone," he jumped off the biobed and gave the Doctor a slap on the back. "We've got the crew back, more or less in one piece. Tomorrow could be rough- people are going to be asking us questions, about who we are and about who _they_ are. But it will get better from here." He started to walk towards the doors of sickbay, "Get a good night's sleep and I'll see you all tomorrow."

* * *

Chakotay, exhausted as he was, did not sleep well. Questions kept running round his head; what if a member of the crew was happier with their life on Quarra and wanted to stay there? What if some crew members never regained their real memories, despite the Doctor's optimism? Or what if, he thought as he straightened his uniform and drained a cup of tea, the Quarrans realised just how many of their workers had been forced into their employment and decided not to allow Voyager to leave the system, or worse, destroy her and her crew and cover up the whole plot?

He shook his head, hoping to clear away the pessimistic thoughts that had plagued him the night before. The discussions he was about to have with Detective Yerid weighed heavily on his mind though he suspected the only reason for his unease was because the man had tried to hunt him down and arrest him. He knew Yerid had eventually had his eyes opened to the illegal goings on of the Quarran Officials and had helped Captain Janeway, Seven and the rest of the crew to escape. He had no rational reason to be uneasy about the whole thing.

Having used the replicator to prepare breakfast, he skipped his normal journey to the mess hall and went straight to the bridge. Ensign Kim was already at his post when he arrived and Chakotay could tell from the younger man's appearance that he was not the only one who had had a rough night.

"Anything to report, Ensign?" Chakotay asked, forcing himself to stay alert.

"Nothing," Harry replied. "A few crewmembers got lost wandering about the ship but the Doctor and Neelix got them all back to their quarters." He seemed sombre; no doubt worried about thoughts similar to those that had haunted Chakotay.

Collapsing in First Officer's Chair, for although he was technically in command of Voyager until the Captain was fit to return to duty there was too much to do for him to even think of claiming the 'big chair' for his own, he tapped on the console beside him, peering at B'Elanna's reports from Engineering and the Doctor's reports from Sickbay. When he finally convinced himself that everything was in order he turned to Harry.

"It's just after dawn on Quarra- should we wake up Detective Yerid?"

Harry smirked, "Feeling a little bitter towards the Detective, Commander?"

Chakotay almost laughed, stunned that that young man could read him so well. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised- they had served on the same ship for almost seven years after all. He sat up a little straighter, however, as Harry sent out the hail.

It was answered almost immediately by Detective Yerid himself. The man looked harried and more exhausted than Chakotay himself. "Good morning Detective," Chakotay smiled. "Congratulations on your promotion."

Yerid smiled wearily and, thought Chakotay, a little warily. "Thank you, Commander. And I apologise for..." his eyes wandered as he tried to find a word that would be appropriate, "everything," he concluded sheepishly.

Chakotay smiled, in earnest this time and shook his head, indicating that all was forgotten. "I actually wanted to thank you," he said amiably. "I've been told that you did a great deal to uncover what happened to Voyager's crew. We owe you a great deal. If there's anything we can help you with now, please, just let us know and we'll do what we can."

A flash of emotion passed over Yerid's face, relief that he seemed to be trying to reign in. "In fact, there _is _something you could do for us. I had hoped to discuss it with you today. There are too many details to discuss it over the communications link but if you'd like, you could transport down here-"

Chakotay cut him off, "I'm afraid I can't leave Voyager right now. There are too few people on board who have all their own memories and I'm needed here. We could beam _you_ up here, however."

Yerid didn't answer immediately. He looked a little uneasy, possibly, Chakotay thought, about entering a ship full of people that had been brainwashed by Quarran officials. However, as he answered he straightened up in the chair he was sitting in and pushed back his shoulders, as though bracing himself. "Thank you, Commander. I'd be honoured to visit your ship." He paused before adding, "I've been conferring with Doctor Ravoc- he's the new Head of Neuropathology at the hospital- and he'd like to consult with your Doctor, if he has the time. And I've been working closely with Mr Jaffen- he's now a Supervisor at the power plant. Would you mind if they were to accompany me to your ship?"

"That's fine," Chakotay agreed. "We'll send you the transport co-ordinates now," he turned to give Harry a nod. When he turned to face the view screen again he could hear a beep come from Yerid's console, indicating that he had received them. "I understand you'll have to consult with Doctor Ravoc and Mr Jaffen so if you're at those co-ordinates at 1200 hours we'll beam you up then."

Yerid nodded, "I look forward to it, Commander." Chakotay was about to signal to Harry to end the transmission when Yerid's voice stopped him, "I realise she may be still receiving treatment, but if she's not, I'd like to speak to Miss Hansen again."

Seven? Why would Yerid want to talk to Seven? Probably, Chakotay theorised, because she had been the one who had asked him for help to find out what had happened to her, and the rest of the crew. Yerid would probably be more comfortable speaking with her than him. "I'll have to speak to our Doctor first, I'm afraid."

"Thank you," Yerid nodded understandingly. "I'll see you at 1200 hours." The transmission was cut off.

Chakotay sighed and slumped back in his chair. "Computer, locate Seven of Nine."

"Seven of Nine is in Sickbay."

Pushing himself off his chair, Chakotay decided to go and see how she was. The Doctor had said she would have regained most of her memories by now. "Ensign," he turned to Harry on his way out, "you have the Bridge," he gestured around the deserted Bridge as he entered the turbolift.

* * *

"Regeneration cycle complete."

Seven of Nine stepped out of the Borg alcove and looked about Cargo Bay Two. Yes, she thought, she was Seven of Nine, not Annika Hansen.

The day before, when she had been brought to Voyager and treated by the Doctor for having her memory's altered, she had been Annika Hansen, Efficiency Expert in the Quarran power plant. She had been born on the Tendara Colony and had moved to Earth when she was very young. She had left Earth with her parents on the Raven when she was four years old. She had been orphaned at the age of six and had been taken in by group of traders, however as she grew they began to abuse her in the worst way possible. Almost four years ago she had escaped them and started wandering the galaxy looking for work until she had found Quarra and been offered a good, useful job there. She had been happy.

Once the Doctor had treated her he had given her instructions to regenerate for at least twelve hours, eat something and then return to Sickbay. A young Ensign who told her to call him Harry had escorted her to Cargo Bay Two. He had been friendly and answered a lot of her questions. But when she entered the Cargo Bay and saw the alcove, glowing green, she started at the sight and stepped backwards involuntarily.

She recognised it. It was from a memory buried deep below her conscious thoughts. And as Harry had coaxed her towards it she knew that she had no reason to fear this piece of machinery... And yet, she did.

After a moment's thought, she stepped into it and allowed Harry to program the twelve hour cycle. And when she closed her eyes everything started to unravel. All her memories- her real memories- were uncovered and suddenly she understood.

Now she knew that most of what she remembered was a lie. Some of her real memories weren't perfectly clear, even when she tried to focus on them, but they were there and she knew they were the truth.

She looked down at the clothes she was wearing. She would have to change into one of her bio-suits before she went to Sickbay. Although it was no longer necessary for her to wear them all the time, she had just gone over three weeks without wearing them and without regenerating. Even though she had just completed a regeneration cycle her body, especially the skin that covered some of her more extensive implants, ached.

She changed into her blue bio-suit efficiently. The process was more complicated than it looked. Taking her hair completely down, she restyled it into what was the norm on Voyager. That done, she straightened herself and peered at her reflection in the polished console. She _looked_ like Seven again and, more importantly, she _felt_ like Seven again.

Her trip to the mess hall was brief. Neelix initially greeted her and exuberantly expressed his relief that she had reclaimed her memories before tending to some crew members who were not so lucky. She ingested the nutritional supplements that Neelix had prepared along with a cup of camomile tea, the taste of which she had become fond of.

As she went to leave she noticed that Naomi Wildman was staring at her with a look of intense concentration. She offered the young girl a small smile as she passed, and a small nod of her head. It seemed to spark something in Naomi's mind, as her eyes lit up in recognition and she grinned widely back.

As she made her way to Deck Five she occasionally had to stop and point various crewmembers towards the mess hall. It was disconcerting, she thought, that the majority of these people had lived on Voyager for almost seven years and because of the work of one man- she blamed Doctor Kadan solely for the brainwashing of Voyager's crew- they now had no idea how to find somewhere they visited every day.

The doors of Sickbay opened for her and she stepped in. The Doctor was running a tricorder over Tuvok with a frown on his face. She waited until he noticed her, unwilling to disturb his work. As he walked over to the console opposite Tuvok's biobed he looked up.

"Seven!" he exclaimed. "Or, ah, is it Annika?" his enthusiasm quelled into concern coupled with curiosity.

She approached him, "I am Seven." A part of her had thought that Annika was more approachable than Seven, but she experienced a warmness that she associated with happiness when both Neelix and the Doctor seemed to be glad that she had returned to being Seven of Nine. She continued, "I've regained my memories of Voyager however some memories seem..." she struggled for a word to describe the sensation.

"Cloudy?" the Doctor supplied. "Hazy? Vague?"

"Yes," her head dipped in a bird-like nod.

"That's perfectly normal," he said, guiding her to a biobed. As she sat down he ran a tricorder across her head, "You still have several more treatment's to go through before you fully recover, but regeneration seems to speed up your progress remarkably!"

She frowned at the thought of the other treatments. "When will I be able to return to my duties?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

It wasn't as bad as she had expected. "I don't see why you can't go back to work immediately. I know Lieutenant Torres could use an extra set of hands in Engineering. Just make sure you don't overdo it. I want you to try and get a full ten hours of regeneration each night until the rest of the crew has recovered." He ran the tricorder over the rest of her body, "I have to say, I'm impressed that none of your implants have come out of alignment," he gave her a warm smile. "You're in perfect working order."

Stepping down off the biobed she thanked him before wandering towards Tuvok. "Will he recover?" she asked the Doctor quietly.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "It may take a little while longer than everyone else, but the Vulcan brain is a powerful thing."

Behind them, Sickbay's doors opened with a swish and Commander Chakotay approached them. He looked her over, taking in the bio-suit, the hairstyle and her posture.

"Seven?" he asked cautiously.

"That's correct," Seven couldn't look him in the eye. She felt her face heat up as she remembered her question the previous day.

"Good!" she heard him say with emphasis. She looked up to find him smiling down at her. "How are you feeling?"

She resisted the automatic urge to say that she was functional and forced herself to put the Doctor's social lessons to use. "I am well. I feel like myself."

Chakotay nodded. "I'm meeting with Detective Yerid and Mr Jaffen at 1200 hours," he informed her as he laid a hand on her left shoulder. "Yerid said that he'd like it if you were there. Do you feel up to it?" he asked gently.

She confirmed and he looked towards the Doctor, "Doctor, Doctor Ravoc will also be beaming aboard and he'd like to talk to you. Do you have the time?"

"Yes, I won't be able to administer the second part of the treatment until tomorrow anyway," the Doctor replied.

"Great. I'll meet you both in the Transporter Room at 1200 hours," he turned to leave, but not before giving Seven's shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze.

Her eyes followed him as he left. Her shoulder tingled where he had squeezed it. Perhaps her body was more sensitive, after not wearing her bio-suits for so long, than she though.

**A.N. **_Whew... the keys are quite literally coming off my keyboard after that! I apologise for the lack of C7 in this chapter- it was only supposed to be the start of a chapter but it grew._

_Okay, question. Does anyone know the correct spelling for Doctor Ravoc's name? Because Memory-Alpha says that it's Ravoc and my DVD's subtitles say that it's Ravock._

_Sorry it took me so long to update. I promise the next chapter will be up in a lot less time. I hope you all have a happy new year and please leave me a belated Christmas present of a review!_

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager or anything related to it does not belong to me.

**A.N. **_Happy 2011 everyone! I hope you all have a great year! Thanks to all my reviewers! Katie put in a special request- I'll do my best to produce something satisfactory in the next few chapters! _

_I feel, first, that I should explain the title of this fic. The first time we really see any sort of relationship between Seven and Chakotay is in Human Error. This is what brought them up to that point- I suppose you could say it's a prelude to C/7. Anyway, now you know!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter Three**

When the time was just approaching 1200 hours, Chakotay made his way from the Mess Hall to the Transporter Room. The Doctor and Seven arrived together a few moments after he did, and he offered them a quick greeting before fixing his concentration on the console. At 1200 hours exactly he picked up three life signs at the co-ordinates Harry had sent to Yerid, locked on to them and started the procedure to transport the individuals on to Voyager.

Chakotay stepped around the console as the three figures began to take on a solid form. All three men looked decidedly tense as they materialised- no doubt wary of the transporting procedure. Yerid looked around then down at himself, checking he was all in one piece, before stepping off the platform and proffering a hand towards Chakotay.

He took the hand offered to him and the two men shook before Chakotay drew away and gestured towards his shipmates. "Gentlemen," he glanced at the two other men accompanying the Detective, "this is our Doctor, and I think you've all met Seven of Nine."

His words drew confused stares from everyone as they looked towards Seven, and Chakotay realised his mistake. Before he could correct himself, however, Seven took the matter into her own hands. "Voyager liberated me from the Borg Collective several years ago. Seven of Nine is my preferred designation- I am more familiar with it than my human name. However you may call me Seven, if you wish." This drew more curious gazes from the men, but thankfully none of fear, anger or revulsion, as they took in Seven's cybernetic implants with a new understanding.

Drawing their attention back to the matters at hand, Chakotay approached the man he had seen with Captain Janeway, "Mr Jaffen, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise," he replied as they, too, shook hands. He opened his mouth to say more, but seemed to change his mind as he looked around, awkwardly.

Chakotay also introduced himself to Doctor Ravoc, drawing the young man's eyes away from Seven of Nine, though only briefly. He frowned inwardly- he knew Seven blamed herself for the Ravoc's detainment in the Quarran hospital. He hoped the young Doctor didn't also hold her responsible.

As Chakotay led them all towards the Briefing Room the Doctor engaged Ravoc in a discussion about Dysphoria Syndrome and different treatments for the condition. The discussion went right over Chakotay's head, not being versed in the medical sciences past the level of basic first aid. However he tuned in slightly (not eavesdropping- just practicing awareness in case of a problem) when Seven fell in step with the two Doctor's and interrupted rather politely.

"Excuse me, Doctor Ravoc?" Seven's voice was low and Chakotay could have sworn he heard a hint of regret in it, "I wanted to apologise for my deception of you on Quarra. I hope it didn't cause you to come to any harm?"

"Oh! No- no, I'm fine!" Ravoc's voice suddenly went slightly hoarse and he cleared his throat before continuing, "I understand why you had to be cautious of who you trusted- especially at the hospital. But, I can assure you, I had no idea what was going on. When I found out I was appalled! Then Doctor Kadan decided to brainwash _me_ as well. I was lucky you and the Detective arrived when you did- otherwise I might have been next!"

"I am pleased that we arrived in time," Seven stated, her voice level, but tinged with relief. "I was concerned for your wellbeing."

They reached the Briefing Room at that moment and Chakotay stood back to allow everyone to enter before him. As Ravoc passed him, just behind Seven, he noticed that the young man's eyes were fixed on Seven's shapely form, accentuated by her biosuit, and that he had a rather dazed smile on his face.

He felt his mood darken considerably though he didn't let it show on his face. Whether he'd been aware of it or now, Ravoc had helped Kadan brainwash almost the entire crew. The last thing they needed was this particular young man infatuated with Seven and following her around like a little lost puppy.

He took his place at the table, with Seven on his left and Yerid on his right. "Detective, you said there might be something we can do for you?

* * *

The request was simple enough and Chakotay was happy to offer assistance to Yerid and Jaffen. There was even no need to consult with the Captain. It seemed that Voyager wasn't the only ship with a crew that had been 'rescued' by the Quarrans. There were thousands of people who had been brainwashed and were now stranded away from their homes.

The three men who had beamed aboard Voyager were going to have a long and arduous task ahead of them. Yerid was trying to find those who had their memory engrams altered by Kadan, Ravoc was giving them back their old memories and Jaffen was arranging for the victims to be compensated and sent back home, should they wish to go.

That was where Voyager came in. They had already discovered thirty-seven people who had come from a nearby world on a small trader's ship. Ravoc was already treating them and, if everything went according to plan they would be ready to go back home by the end of the week. Jaffen was in the middle of acquiring ships to transport people but it would take time.

It didn't take long for Seven to access Voyager's flight plan for the upcoming section of space and the world that the traders were from was barely a week away. All Jaffen asked was that Voyager take the traders with them and drop them off on their home world. Voyager and her crew were then free to keep journeying towards Earth.

The Doctor was quick to point out that Voyager's crew would most likely not be ready to leave Quarra's orbit for a week or possibly more and Chakotay offered to take any more workers who were stranded and who's home world's weren't too far off Voyager's flight plan. After all, he thought, if anyone could be sympathetic to the plight of those who were lost and far from home it was Voyager's crew.

After a short while the Doctor and Ravoc excused themselves, having no more information to offer and reconvened in the Doctor's office. Meanwhile, Chakotay and Seven listened attentively to Yerid and Jaffen's point of view of the incident on Quarra.

Chakotay knew the start of it- how B'Elanna had gone missing and Yerid had been ordered to track down and arrest her kidnapper. He remembered being questioned by Yerid after he had been found and it seemed that his desperate plea's to Yerrid to believe that Voyager's crew had been taken to work at the power plant had had some effect.

Then he heard the part of the story that Seven had told him. Yerid spoke about how Seven had approached him about the investigation and started piling evidence before him that seemed to attest what Chakotay claimed. Chakotay had to smile as Yerid unabashedly flung praises at Seven for her intuitive yet thorough approach. He explained how the small group who were now suspicious of their apparent identities had met. Yerid explained how he and Seven had broken in to the hospital, with Seven pretending to be unconscious.

Jaffen took over for the final section of the tale. He told Chakotay that he and Kathryn had gone to the power plant and managed to contact Voyager. Chakotay was somewhat relieved that Kathryn had somewhat believed him when he told her they knew each other, even if it had taken a little more convincing by Seven and Yerid. Jaffen then explained that as soon as they had managed to simulate an overload in the core, Kathryn had been beamed back to Voyager.

When Jaffen concluded the four people sat in silence, taking in everything that had happened. Finally, Yerid said quietly, "Quarra's a mess because of this conspiracy. It's going to take a long time to sort it out."

Seven was looking across the table at Jaffen, "The kidnappings and brainwashing began because of a labour shortage on Quarra. How do intend to remedy that when you're going to lose thousands of your workers?"

A legitimate question, Chakotay mused. Seven brought up a very problematic point.

Jaffen sat silently for a moment before responding, picking his words cautiously. "We won't be living in such comfort as we do now for some time," he said, linking his fingers together and placing them under his chin thoughtfully. "However, with fewer workers, the population also decreases therefore less power will be needed to run the city. We may have to ration the amount of power each person uses but," he paused, before concluding with an air of determination, "our ancestors survived without the luxuries we take for granted. If they can do it, so can we."

Chakotay smiled at his optimism. He couldn't blame all Quarran's for what happened to Voyager's crew and countless others. He was glad they wouldn't suffer for the mistakes of the few.

* * *

Chakotay commed the Doctor and he and Ravoc joined them as soon as the meeting had concluded. It seemed the two Doctor's had made some progress discerning possible problems that could arise with the treatment and how to overcome them.

As they left the Briefing Room to escort their guests back to the Transporter Room, Chakotay turned his head towards Seven and repressed the smile that was working its way onto his face. "You know," he ventured, "when we get back to the Alpha Quadrant you should consider a career as a private detective."

There was a slight twitch at the corner of Seven's lips, but it didn't manifest into a smile. Her eyes, however, brightened, and she raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I should consult Commander Tuvok about joining his security team. I'm sure Detective Yerrid would be willing to provide a reference." Chakotay could have sworn, just for a moment, that there was a smirk gracing her lips, but he blinked and it was gone.

Yerrid, it seemed, had heard the exchange. He looked over his shoulder at the pair as he walked. "Miss Hans- sorry, Seven," he smiled apologetically before continuing, "If I did not believe that you Captain and Commander wouldn't let you go without a fight, I would offer you a place in our police department here and now." He smiled, "We do have several places to fill, you know."

Chakotay was about to make a joking remark but was stunned into silence as Seven thanked the Detective with a slight blush on her cheeks that seemed, to Chakotay at least as he had never witnessed such a thing from Seven of Nine of all people, exotic in its nature.

As they reached the Transporter Room the doors slid open for them but before Chakotay could go through he felt a firm hand touch his shoulder, "Commander," Jaffen said quietly, "could I speak with you a moment? Privately?"

Chakotay nodded to the Doctor, who was looking back at the pair. "We'll join you in just a minute." The doors slid shut again and he turned back towards Jaffen. "What can I do for you?"

The older man looked almost awkward in his manner. "I wanted to apologise," he met Chakotay's eyes, "for your arrest."

Chakotay smiled to reassure him, "Don't worry about it. I figured it was you who had reported me. I understand, you were doing what you thought was right."

But Jaffen looked up at him, shocked. "No, Commander. You misunderstand. I wasn't _me_ who reported you to the police. It was _Kathryn_." He ran a hand through his hair, nervously. "I wanted to explain- I convinced her to report you, and now I can see it was a mistake. I know how important trust must be on a Starship like this and I hope you understand that while she reported you, the fault lies with me." He straightened up, "I hope you'll accept my apology and that I haven't completely ruined the trust you and Kathryn must share," he stuck out his hand for Chakotay to shake.

Chakotay fixed a smile on his face and then shook his hand, "I accept, though no apology is necessary."

Jaffen smiled back and gestured towards the Transporter Room's doors, "Shall we?"

Chakotay led him in. He said farewell to Ravoc and Yerrid and activated the transporter but he felt dazed and a little numb. So, it was Kathryn Janeway who had reported him to the police.

He wished Jaffen hadn't told him. Captain Janeway may have had been brainwashed, but he had noticed that the things that really mattered to members of the crew still remained unconsciously. Lieutenant Paris's care and concern for B'Elanna and her baby, for instance, even though he had no idea the child was his.

The lack of trust between Captain and Commander that had been present at the very start of their journey in the Delta Quadrant still remained even after seven years. And that, though Chakotay, was what really stung.

**A.N. **_Okay folks, I'm not sure when the next update is going to appear. My University Exam Diet begins on Monday so I'll be busy for a while. Along with exams, however, comes procrastination. So you might actually get an update sooner than expected. Who knows? Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you thought!_

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager or anything related to it is not my property and I'm making no money from it. Unfortunately.

**A.N. **_Thanks to everyone who has sent me reviews and encouragement! I'm really sorry for the delay. I have no excuse (actually, I have plenty, but it would take a while to write them all down). Perhaps this chapter will help you forgive me? Enjoy!_

**Chapter Four**

The next day was mostly taken up with ferrying people to and from sickbay for the second phase of their treatment. Thanks to Doctor Ravoc, the Doctor had modified his treatment plan so that most people would remember a great deal more by the following day. His main worry was that the crew would struggle with which memories were theirs and which were implanted. They would need the support of those few crewmembers who had regained their memories.

When Chakotay entered the mess hall that evening it was bustling with people in a way that was uncommon. Most people, if they had enough replicator rations, would prepare their own meal rather than face whatever concoction Neelix had mixed up. Tonight, however, it seemed that whatever Neelix was serving was actually palatable... or everyone had forgotten the rather extreme flavours of what Neelix defined as food along with the rest of their lives.

He stood still for a moment, taking in the expressions on different crewmembers faces with some amusement. They seemed to be a mixture between disgust, horror and a little bit of fear. Deciding that he shouldn't leave the rest of the crew to suffer, he accepted a plate of Leola Root Stew (vowing that he would replicate himself some edible food later) and gazed around. After a minute he would have been willing to put money on the fact that the expressions of discomfort weren't entirely due to Neelix's stew. Conversation seemed stilted and awkward even between those who had been friends for years.

Finally, he made a decision. He took his tray and found a seat at the most crowded table at the back of the mess hall, a friendly smile firmly implanted on his face.

* * *

About an hour later, as people started to leave the mess hall, Chakotay began to look around at those who were left. One particular table, just across from where he had taken his place, was occupied by three people and a kadis-kot board. Icheb, who had recovered some of his memory, though not so as much as Seven had, due to his cortical node being removed, was sitting at one side, eyes darting across the kadis-kot board. On the other, were Seven and Naomi Wildman. Naomi had regained the majority of her memories, like Icheb, due to her young age, the Doctor had hypothesised. However she was having trouble discerning which memories were real and which had been implanted and it had left her unsure of _who_ she really knew. This sudden distrust had manifested itself earlier in the day when she had run screaming from Harry Kim, who had done nothing more than say hello to the little girl.

It seemed, however, that Naomi was as happy spending time with Seven as she had been before the incident on Quarra. Chakotay wasn't surprised, to be honest. There had been more than one occasion that Chakotay had gone to Astrometrics for a report, only to find Naomi sitting on the elevated platform under the screen, legs swinging, perfectly happy in the company of the former Borg. Not only that, but the young girl seemed to have a hold over Seven which brought out the woman's softer, more playful side.

As Chakotay glanced around at the mess hall's other occupants, he found his eyes being drawn back to the game of kadis-kot. Icheb was playing with the red pieces whilst Naomi, with Seven's assistance, was playing with the green. The game seemed quite close, with Seven offering more encouragement than advice. When it seemed the game may be drawing to a close, Naomi bent forward to study the board in more detail, searching for a final move. When her forehead creased in concentration, making the small horns move closer together, Seven also leaned forward and murmured something in the young girls ear. Naomi looked confused for a second, then her eyes suddenly lit up as her hand darted forward, moving the green chip into the winning position.

He could hear the delighted cry of, "Kadis-Kot!" quite clearly from his table. Icheb let out a groan and shot a glare at Seven-of-Nine, but it was softened by the small grin playing on the young man's lips. Chakotay doubted Seven even noticed, however, as Naomi had jumped up to hug her enthusiastically. Seven returned the hug, slightly awkwardly, but warmly all the same. When Naomi moved away, Chakotay could see the smile gracing the normally sober woman's lips.

It wasn't until he had cleared away his tray and had left the mess hall that he realised that he, too, was smiling.

* * *

For the next few days the crew was practically on shore leave. Nevertheless, there were still the basic matters that arose when one was running a starship that had to be attended to. When the Doctor was almost ready to release Captain Janeway and allow her to resume her command, she suggested to Chakotay that a quiet dinner might be an appropriate setting for him to catch her up on all Voyager's events since, what was now being called, The Quarra Affair.

Chakotay readily accepted, though he braced himself for some truly atrocious cooking. He was more than happy to hand over the running of Voyager to Janeway. While he had been perfectly happy being the captain of a small ship whilst he was part of the Maquis, being in command of Voyager left him in a perpetual state of paranoia. He was always sure something was about to go wrong, which, to be fair, it generally did.

So, like the dutifully First Officer he was, he chewed at the burnt mince and almost raw potatoes of the Shepherd's Pie Captain Janeway had placed in front of him and washed as much as he could, which really wasn't very much, down with a glass of cider as they chatted about the events of the past few days. It wasn't the first time they had a casual working dinner together, and he doubted it would be the last. But this time the conversation seemed stilted and forced. Unwilling to bring up the contentious subject that he knew was the cause, Chakotay simply waited patiently, willing that eventually it would have to be discussed.

He was correct.

"I want you to know," Kathryn began, after another minute of awkward silence, "that I'm going to say in my log that you deserve a commendation for what you did." She had been focusing on a stray pea on her plate, chasing it idly with her fork. Now she looked up and met his eyes, "If you hadn't come down there after us, even though you knew we wouldn't recognise you or believe you, we'd all still be down there, never knowing what was up here waiting for us."

"You don't have to do that," Chakotay felt the need to counter. "I didn't do much, to be honest." Except get caught, he added to himself, not thinking it prudent to say aloud. "If Tuvok hadn't suspected something was wrong and Seven hadn't taken it upon herself to investigate, anything I did wouldn't have mattered." He knew it was the truth when he added, "It's them who deserve your commendation, especially Seven."

Janeway smiled ruefully, "Yes, Detective Yerid was singing her praises when I spoke to him earlier. If we're not careful he may convince young Doctor Ravoc to brainwash her again so that she'll want to stay on Quarra and become a detective," she joked.

Chakotay laughed weakly as what he had managed to consume of the Shepherd's Pie rolled in his stomach. He wouldn't be surprised either.

"Nevertheless," Janeway turned serious again, "you deserve to be applauded for your efforts on Quarra," she stated firmly. "And I want to thank you for everything you did, too."

Chakotay smiled and graciously accepted her thanks before rolling off a line about someone having to show the Doctor who was boss. Eventually he was able to excuse himself and leave. He knew that Captain Janeway's offer of commendation was as close to an apology as he was going to get.

It wasn't that he didn't understand why she had reported him to Detective Yerid. She had reason to suspect that he was a dangerous criminal and even a brainwashed Kathryn Janeway would always try to uphold the law of the land. But the lack of trust bothered him, as did the fact that he was never really sure where he stood with her.

He was reminded of 'the old days' on Voyager, when Janeway had concocted a plan, together with Tom Paris, without his knowledge, that had eventually resulted in learning the identity of a crewmember who was acting as a Kazon spy. He was forced to admit that the ruse had been brilliantly played out, Paris acting out the part of the dissatisfied and disobedient crewmember flawlessly, but after spending almost two full years as First Officer of Voyager, at the time Chakotay had felt deceived. He had wondered if there would ever be any level of real trust between Captain and Commander, or if it, too, was all an act. He yearned for honesty.

Wearily he entered his quarters and stripped off his clothes, preparing to sleep although he knew it would prove to be elusive. He lay back on the bed and draped an arm across his forehead and eyes. In the dark of his cabin he silently wished for something simpler than relations between the senior staff to distract him. An attack by a Hirogen hunting party, perhaps?

**A.N. **_I'm not exactly happy with the way this chapter went but I needed to display the complete lack of relationship between Chakotay and Janeway somehow and this seemed the best way to do it. _

_Anyway, good news! Next chapter has already been started and includes C7! Proper C7! Let me know what you think!_

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager is not my property and I'm not making any profit from this fanfic other than the amusement of using the characters for my own perverse pleasure.

**A.N. **_Sorry for the wait, folks. Real life has unfortunately taken over. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think!_

**Chapter Five**

Chakotay's stomach finally called for further sustenance at 0130 hours. Unable to sleep, in any case, he decided to scrounge for any leftovers in the mess hall rather than wasting his replicator rations on a midnight snack. Quickly pulling on some casual clothes, he began to meander in the direction of the mess hall.

He wasn't the only one on Voyager who was in need of food at this early hour. After spending the evening assisting the Doctor in Sickbay, then being coerced by Icheb into quizzing him further on his studies for his Starfleet Exams, Seven was only finding the time for an evening meal at this time. She considered briefly replicating a nutritional supplement and regenerating instead, but decided to take advantage of the empty mess hall and galley and utilise it to prepare a more tasteful meal.

Taking a glance at the ingredients Neelix had stored away she decided to make a simple mushroom risotto. As she began to chop up the vegetables and put them in the pan she felt her muscles relax. Pausing briefly to stretch her arms and roll her shoulders, her mind wandered back through the day. She would have to design more lessons for Icheb- she hadn't been lying several months back when she suggested that he understood more about Astrometrics than most Starfleet Officers and he was rapidly approaching the level where he would know more than she did. As proud as she was of him and his ambitions it was making it very difficult for her to continue to give him work in Astrometrics that was suited to his intelligence until he had completed his Starfleet Exams.

Although she would quite possibly never admit it out loud, Seven was incredibly grateful that Commander Chakotay had not bowed to her wishes the previous year, when she had requested (nearly begged, in fact) that the care and guardianship of Icheb, Azan, Rebi and Mezoti went to someone more fit for the task. The Captain had insisted that she was to try and help them become more familiar with their respective species so they would be able to reintegrate with their families when found. Seven had often wondered how she was to do this when the children were less Borg than she was and it was something that frequently bothered her.

Now she understood exactly why Chakotay had refused her request. Through caring for the children she had become more human herself. She had missed Mezoti, Azan and Rebi when they had left the ship and she continued to miss their presence. She had felt a fear that had been more intense than anything else she had felt since her connection to the Collective had been severed when they were in danger. Particularly, she recalled, when Icheb had almost been reassimilated and earlier that year when he had disconnected his cortical node. And now, watching Icheb study to become a Starfleet Officer, she felt proud. Every time he succeed in a task or was praised by his instructors she felt more pride in him than she ever had in herself.

Still distracted with her own thoughts she dished out a small portion of the risotto for herself then set away what was left, leaving a pad on the counter for Neelix, informing him that it had in fact been her raiding his galley and not a mysterious thief and also explaining that there was a large portion of mushroom risotto left that he could feed the crew with the next day. No doubt, she mused, they would be pleased. Just as she sat down at a table in the mess hall and had started to eat, her head jerked up, startled, as the doors hissed open.

* * *

Chakotay was surprised to find the mess hall lights on when the door opened before him. He was even more surprised to find Seven-of-Nine's wide eyes looking across the room at him. "Hello," he said quickly. He realised he was still standing in the doorway and walked further into the room. "Mind if I join you?"

Seven shook her head, "Not at all," she replied quietly.

Chakotay stepped behind the galley counter, searching for food. He looked over at Seven again, eyeing her plate. "That looks good," he commented. "Any left?"

"Under the counter," she directed him with a short reply.

Ducking down to look, he winced. This was awkward. It had been a long time since he had hated the ex-Borg and resented her presence on the ship. In fact, he now respected her and genuinely liked the young woman. He would like to consider her a friend, he realised, but he had never particularly made an effort to communicate with her. Maybe it was time to change that.

He sat down with his plate opposite her and took a bite, trying to think of something to say. He sighed as the taste flooded his mouth and he hesitated to swallow, savouring the taste of mushrooms. Scooping up another forkful, he stopped, realising something.

"This isn't one of Neelix's concoctions," he stated, looking across the table expectantly.

Seven looked up, "No, it's not." She hesitated, misinterpreting his statement, "He gave me permission to use the galley whenever I like," she tried to explain.

Chakotay shook his head, not caring whether she had permission or not. The taste was completely worth it. "This is brilliant, Seven!" He grinned, "It's times like this that make me thing your talents are being wasted in Astrometrics," he teased. "Maybe I should transfer you to the mess hall and leave Neelix in Astrometrics. He's been asking for more challenging duties. Plus, with some good food morale would increase and replicator usage would go down."

He had to smirk at the glare he was receiving. If it hadn't been for the small smile that turned Seven's lips upwards, Chakotay may have withered before it.

"I will remind you of that statement next time my scans in Astrometrics save the ship."He realised Seven was teasing him right back. "I must admire Mr Neelix's persistence, however. I enjoy cooking because I find it relaxing. If I had to cook for the entire crew I believe I would lose any pleasure I find in it," Seven stated quite honestly.

Chakotay had to agree and he was pleased to see she seemed to be able to balance her new hobby with her work so well. Neelix had talked about holding cooking classes, he recalled. He vowed that the next time she saved the ship he would invite her to the next one of these cooking classes, even if he had to order her there.

She surprised him yet again by adding wryly, "Besides, if I took over duty in the mess hall the Doctor would become bored. I believe that as much as he complains about how ill Mr Neelix's cooking makes the crew, he would regret not getting as many visitors as he does."

Chakotay burst into laughter.

* * *

Their conversation continued along the same vein for a while, before varying to Icheb's studies, music and then places of interest in the Alpha Quadrant. Both of them had cleaned their plates of food and only the dregs of Chakotay's tea were left, floating cold in his mug when they were interrupted by the door sliding open. Neither of them had expected someone else joining them.

"Commander, Seven!" Neelix greeted them cheerfully. "You're up early. Have you already had breakfast, or would you like me to make you something?"

"Breakfast?" Chakotay repeated dumbly. "What time is it?"

Neelix frowned, "0600 hours, Commander. You two haven't been here all night, have you?"

Chakotay stood to leave and Seven followed suit, "Apparently so. I'll see you later Neelix."

Neelix bade them farewell and Chakotay followed Seven, "You're not on duty this morning, are you?" he asked.

Seven shook her head, "No, but I agreed to assist the Doctor in Sickbay if there were any problems with the antidote he prescribed and I am giving Icheb more lessons in the afternoon." She paused, before adding, "I apologise for keeping you up so late, Commander. You have been in command of Voyager for the past week, so I am sure you would have preferred to sleep," she sounded regretful.

Chakotay was surprised to find that he was quite awake. "It's fine. I didn't realise the time either. And besides, I'm off duty today too." He looked across at her as they entered the turbo lift and she ordered it to Deck Five. "Tell you what, I'll get a few hours sleep now then take Icheb off your hands this afternoon so you can get some rest." Sensing that she was about to protest, he continued, "He's started researching an essay on Captain Kirk so I can try and give him a few pointers."

Seven was defeated and she knew it, "Thank you, Commander," she smiled. They were getting more frequent, her smiles, Chakotay noticed, as he smiled back. They said goodbye as she exited the turbo lift and Chakotay watched her go. When the lift didn't move he remembered he hadn't told it where to go. "Uh, Deck Three," he commanded it. Perhaps now he could get some sleep.

**A.N.**_ Whew. I hope this chapter is okay. Once again, procrastination is winning the battle between it and work. Next chapter is the Epilogue and as much as I'd like to say it will be up within the next week, I can't promise it, but I _can _promise to give it my best shot. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!_

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


	6. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek: Voyager or anything related to it. I am but a poor student, so please don't try and sue me.

**A.N.**_ I apologise for the immense delay at finishing this fic. I've had an overabundance of coursework and a serious lack of sleep lately. However I now have a three hour boat journey home so what better way to occupy myself than writing?  
_

**Epilogue**

Eight hours later and Seven was glad to finally be able to leave Sickbay, her obligations to duty fulfilled. She had been distracted throughout her shift and was relieved that there were relatively few patients for her and the Doctor to attend to. However, this meant that the Doctor was able to focus all his energies into discovering what it was that had left Seven so unfocused. He had questioned her on her memories of Quarra, her attachment to Icheb and Naomi and he had even questioned her on her identity- the difference between Seven of Nine and Annika Hansen.

Not once did he bring up the topic of the Commander nor did he bring up Unimatrix Zero, for which she was thankful. If he had asked her, point blank, about the subject of her preoccupation, she didn't think she would have been able to convincingly lie. It just wasn't in her nature.

She had successfully avoided discussing Unimatrix Zero with the Doctor after the events that led up to its destruction, consistently claiming that they had more important things to consider at the time- the de-assimilation of Janeway, Tuvok and Torres, the repairs to the ship, and the condition of the former drones who had requested to have as much of their plated armour removed as possible. She had evaded the topic so long, in fact, that it had never again been mentioned. Yet many of her memories, and more relevantly, her feelings, from her time there still plagued her.

Captain Janeway, after meeting 'Annika' (the part of her who had existed inside Unimatrix Zero could not be described as Seven of Nine) in Unimatrix Zero had commented on how human she was there. But Seven had felt no pressure to act more human whilst there. She had known, somehow, that in a world full of Borg drones there would be no one that could judge her past. She could be _herself_ without the fear of making a mistake and forever being judged for it. It was a freedom that she had never exercised on Voyager, especially after numerous lessons in Social Skills.

Captain Janeway had been wrong, Seven realised. In a place where she was equal to everyone else she hadn't been more human. She, like every other drone who had possessed the mutation, had just been trying to act less Borg. And it was that feeling that she had been trying so hard to reproduce. She had tried interacting with the crew more, she had taken up hobbies, she had tried to understand why people behaved the way they did and adjust her own behaviour accordingly. She had _tried_ but she was still uneasy and as a result she, more often than not, reverted back to the familiar comfort of her Borg superiority.

During her time in the Mess Hall talking to Chakotay she had been able to relax, aware that there was little she could do to re-induce the distain Voyager's First Officer had felt for her when she had first come aboard. Then she had experienced feelings that she recognised. When he had complemented her, she had felt pleasant. When he had laughed, it had felt pleasant. When he touched her on the shoulder or took her by the elbow, it felt pleasant. _Everything_ felt pleasant. But _pleasant_ didn't seem like a profound enough word to describe the feeling. After all, it was pleasant to sing a new aria with the Doctor and it was pleasant play kadis-kot with Naomi. Perhaps she would have to expand her dictionary.

These things didn't evoke the same feelings as she had experienced in Unimatrix Zero however during the time she had spend with Chakotay her residual feelings for Axum had echoed through her.

It was only later, in Sickbay, that she had fully realised this and in an instant the relaxed feeling she had experienced evaporated to be replaced with something more familiar. A nervous tension that left a sick sensation in her stomach. So she employed all the skills she had acquired over the past four years to dodge the Doctor's persistent questions while she considered her current dilemma.

She was attracted to Commander Chakotay. But the attraction was merely a series of chemical imbalances in her body, all of which she could easily ignore.

This particular train of thought was put aside rather quickly, though she did come back to it several times before the end of the shift. She knew better than that now. Yes, Seven could ignore the attraction and perhaps, in time, it would go away. But was that what she really _wanted_ to do? No, she answered to herself. If she really wanted to become less Borg then she would do exactly the opposite.

Now, standing before her alcove in Cargo Bay Two, the knot tightening in her gut, Seven knew she had to accept and approach the problem. _How_ to approach it was another matter entirely.

* * *

As Chakotay entered Astrometrics, Icheb turned and opened his mouth to speak, before stopping abruptly, obviously expecting Seven rather than the Commander. "Can I help you, Commander?" he asked, standing straight. "Seven should be here shortly," he added.

Chakotay shook his head. "No she won't. I'm taking you for a history lesson today, Icheb."

The younger man's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Why? What's wrong?" Seeing Chakotay's smile, he blushed and stuttered, "Not that I'm not happy to learn from you, Commander."

"Everything's fine," Chakotay reassured him. "I just heard that you were studying Captain Kirk for an essay and I wanted to see how it was going. Maybe I can help you structure it." Better to not tell him that he had taken over the lesson to allow Seven time to regenerate because he had kept her up all night. The majority of the crew would misunderstand that particular statement (he could feel his own face warming at the thought) and he thought it would be best not to accidently add it to Voyager's ever active rumour mill.

Icheb beamed, "Thank you, Commander," he turned towards the Astrometrics screen and pressed a few buttons. "I thought I would split it into these sections," he gestured at the screen.

Chakotay nodded and withheld a grimace at the length of the proposed essay. He hoped Seven appreciated this...

* * *

"Computer, add a simulation of Voyager and the crew," Seven commanded the Holodeck. The Doctor had promoted the use of the Holodeck to experiment with social situations before attempting them in the real world. Seven had decided to utilise it to that exact effect. After all, if she made a fool of herself here, she could delete the program and start again, without having to worry about the consequences.

Voyager appeared around her and she found herself in a very busy mess hall. Her stomach clenched. No, this wouldn't do. She needed it to be quieter so that she could collect herself. She headed towards the holographic Astrometrics when she caught her reflection in a console screen along the corridor.

Perhaps, she thought, if she were to alter the facts of the holoprogram she could 'even the odds' so to speak. In Unimatrix Zero she was equal to everyone there because they were all, or in her case, had been, Borg. Perhaps she could change the perception of the holographic crew to think that she was completely human.

"Computer, display console," Seven said, ignoring the fact that her voice was shaking. It was just a holoprogram, she told herself. It wasn't real. So long as she kept that in mind it would be a perfectly valid experiment. She finished typing in the commands then stood back. "Computer, run holoprogram mask."

Her reflection changed instantly. She instinctively raised a hand to her occipital implant and was able to feel it beneath the mask but the reflection told a different story. It looked like she was just running a finger along her eyebrow.

She smiled instinctively at the result. Of course, if she was one hundred percent human in this simulation she would need quarters to sleep in. She bent over the console again to add more changes to the program. The frozen holographic Voyager still surrounded her and when she looked up again she noticed something she hadn't before. Heading right for her spot was the holographic Chakotay.

A new sensation entered her stomach and she remembered the Doctor describing it as butterflies. She, however, could define it more exactly. It was a mixture between excitement and an underlying sense of foreboding.

She glanced back down at the console again. It was just an experiment. After all, if she did something wrong or embarrassing no one would know. What was the worst that could happen?

**A.N. **_And that's that. I'm really quite sad to see the end of this fic. It's been really fun to write! I hope you all enjoyed it! _

_**~Sweetdeath04**_


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